The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-12-23

Oih tHhb IL iODi cdli ASK IIDIC tlHcS-
tions in an hour than philosopher can an
swer in lifetime, came into my head,
but was Immediately followed by the fur
ther thought that fools may become phil
esophers by asking questions, and then the
biggest fool in our family started off to the
library to ask some questions of a certain
big book there. | had really never
thought anything about how the distances
between this earth and the other mighty
bodies were obtained; for all knew, some
surveyor general had gone up in balloon
close enough to lasso the sun, and then
getting his rope loose, had counted the feet
and miles in it. But the big book explain
ed it in an entirely different way, and
explained it to that boy.
lyon are awful smart, ain You, papa?"
was my pay for my trouble, and the per-
spiration oozed out all over me at the dis
covery that my boy had not, as yet, dis
covered the fathers right to take the high
est seat in the know nothing synagogue
and | replied never word to my small
teacher, but said softly to myself, ayes, |
am smart--smart enough to peddle out
wisdom, as occasion requires, from the
particular shelf on which it is stored in the
library
And sometimes that small pedagogue
teaches me without sending me to the big
books. We were in Cincinnati late one af-
ternoon, and / wanted to find West Third
street, and on reaching the street that in
tersects Third, ! stopped in doubt.
whats the matter now % asked the
miniature philosopher.
81 don't know which way is West Third,
up or down.
"Well, don't the sun set in the West?"
he asked.
Certainly" answered, rather gruffly,
.'but what's that got to do with the loca-
ton of the place want to find?"
''Well, see where the sun is now, and
that will be West, said the small teacher,
very quietly.
had absolutely nothing to say, but the
little man must have been astonished at
the speed with which hustled him into a
drug store and ordered the clerk to fill him
with soda water to his hearts content.
And thus | am getting wiser day by day,
but still have large number of rooms to
let in my upper story, rooms thought had
long been crowded with tenants, but which
recent examination cenvinces me arc filled
only with cobwebs. The rooms can be
secured at low rental if applied for be-
fore my small teacher fills them. Every
day he fills room, teaching me something
l thought had known for years too many
to be acknowledged here, but which he
makes me feel never had any acquaint-
ance with. can tell now why the crack
ing of a whip makes noise; why perpet-
ual motion is an Impossibility; why milk
turns sonr; why the barometer fortells
the weather; why a red sunset means
bright morrow. and red sunrise foul
weather; what makes the echo; why the
prism divides the rays of light into various
colors; why cats fur crackles when
gives forth a gurgling sound when IFS con
tents are poured out, and just lots of things
besides. The little man is the cause of all
this knowledge that has come to me, and
| ever had.
There are some things don't know yet,
however | can't tell why fathers who
have bright boys like mine will sell them
to the saloon-keepers for little money
paid into city treasury. | can't see how
fathers can take the money that would
educate such boys into grand, helpful men,
and give it to these licensed drink sellers,
leaving the boys to DO educated in the
streets and the devilish schools of vice lin
ing them don't know why some preach
ers preach that license hung over the bar
will take the devil, danger and death ont
of the whiskey under the bar. | don't
know why other preachers and lots of their
people will keep ON praying for the drunk
ard, and voting for the parties that stand
by the traffic that makes the drunkard
These are some of the things | don't
know. The small teacher himself can't
understand them, but they will be an
swered some day. God reigns, and the
Government and the people shall live on.
and full soon be brought into the promised
land of deliverance from the burning,
blighting curse of curses. As believe in
God I believe this, and so does my small
teacher. God bless him. Lon j. Beau
champ, ia The Voice.